Instantaneous water-heater.



W. R. STEWART. INSTANTANEOUS' WATER HEATER,

APPLIOATION FILED MAR.2S, 1911,

Patented June 4, 1912.

2 $HEETS-SHEET l.

W. F. STEWART.

INSTANTANEOUS WATER HEATER. APPLIOATION FILED 11113.23, 1911.

1,028,146, 1 Patented June 4,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Okzw 7 construct an jnivirsn snares PATENT WILLIAM FRASER STEWART, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

INSTANTANEOUS \VATER-HEA'IER.

Application filed March 23, 1911. Serial No. 616,400.

'water and residue occasioned by the sweating of the coil or Water container.

-A further object of my invention is to construct. an instantaneous water heater preferably of the water coil type having a plurality of burners located beneath the.

coil, butout of alinemcnt with the coils periphery, and an evaporating pan located beneath the coil to catch such condensation and residue as escapes from the coil avithout; in any manner intert'ering with the operation of the burners.

A further object ot' my invention is to instantaneous water heater with a housing having a canopy base in which is mounted a ring ot'burners with a discharge. opening or ignition point so arranged as to projectthe. flame in approximately :1. horizontal direction com'rentrating toward the center and resulting in a column of tlame influencing the entire. heating sur 'face ot a coil located in the housing above the canopy base, the said burners being out of vertical alinement with the periphery of said coil, and an evaporating pan located centrally between the ring of burners to catch and dispose of all condensation de rived from the heated coil and prevent such condensation from coming in contact with the burners.

Figure 1 is a combination side and sectional view of an instantalnaous automatic water heater showing my invention e1nbodied therein. Fig.- 2 is a horizontal sectional View taken on the line 2 2 of Fig.1.

Fig 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view of a portion of the canop base and housing showing the relative position of the burner therewith. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of one of the burners.

Referring to the drawings in detail,'5 indicates a oylindricalhousing provided'with I a lining forming an air jacket G of the ordinary construction, the-same acting as an air insulator. in this housing is mounted a coil 7, Which is preferably constructed of copper tubing and the water is admitted into the coil by Way ofthc water inlet valve easing 8 of the ordinary construction through the pipe 9. The hot. water from the coil is directed to any suitable source of supply from the: bottom of the coil through the pipe 9. The housing 6 is mounted upon a flared cap or canopy it); this cap in turn is supported upon a shell or base 11. forming a, combustion chamber, and this base in turn is supported upon suitable standards 12. In the shell or base 11 located a tubular ring 13 in which gas to the plurality of burners 1st is supplied by the supply pipe 1%, the admission of said gas to the burners being regulated by the valve 15, which of the ordinary construction now used in automatic water heaters. Gn the ring 12:3 is supported the burners 1' and the gas is admitted therein through the nozzles or jets 15. The gas escaping into the burners through the nozzle interniingles or mixes with the air passing through the opening it; formed in the base 17 oi each of the burners H, and the properly mixed gases are directed upwardly into the cylindrical screen 18 formed in the head ill oi the burners and is directed outwardly through the opening 20 toward the center of the circle of burners, the tlame gene 'ating from each of the burne concentrating into a solid column ot flame and directed beneath the coil located in the housing. in proper relation with the r ng of burners is a pilot light 21 which instantancously ignites the burners when the gas is admitted into the same by the operation of the valve 15.

cated beneath the canopy sons to bring the same out of vertical alinement with the periphery of the coil. The object o't this is to prevent the condensation derived from the heated coil from coining in contact with the burners and extinguishing or impairing the fiarne, and in order to prevent such contacting with the lone portion of the lmrners I provide an evaporating pan 22 mount ed upon a pipe 23, which is siu ported in the base and through this pipe the cop- The burners in the shell or base are lodensation from lodging in the base and condensat-ion is permitted to pass out. in this p as to obtain the base and the entire internal mechanism" protected from corrosion.

The base is provided with a plurality of openings 24 acting as air inlets, so as to su ply the bu nerswith proper oxygen, n addition to this a sutlieient amount of air-is admitted through the pipe 23 so as to intermingle with the column of flame to aid in proper combustion,- and to assist in carrying the flame up through the coil. Thispipe 23 as will be observed in Fig. 1' projects into the panslightly above the bottom so as to provide an overflow from the pan should the water of condensation accumulate faster than it can .be evaporated.

The essential feature of my invention is the location of the burners and pilot light beneath a hood or fully protected against any Water of condensation derived from the coils and both the burnersv and pilot light so constructed greatest possible efiiciency. The evaporating pan being placed immediately beneath the coils and in the center of the ring of burners with a pipe extending through the bottom so that the water of condensation is carried away without reaching or effecting the burners or any other part of the heater, thereby avoiding corrosion and the extinguishing of the burners.

Heretofore the heating etliciency of all water heaters of this character has been greatly and rapidly impaired, as the result of the burners or generator being located directly beneath the coil, the sweatingof the coil causes water to. accumulate and drip in considerable quantity over the burners and supply pipes. This water finds its way to the ignition point of the burner and into the burner itself, carrying residue with it, which chokes the burner gauze and causes a yellow flame,.whieh produces carbon on the heating surfaces of the water container and also in the burner with the result that the heating etiicieney of the burner or generator, and the conductivity of the coil or water manner th 3' container are both materially impaired and reduced. This sweating or condensation at times (depending largely on the temperature of the water) is so great as to extinguish a burner and extinguish the pilot light, which gives the burner ignition.

The objectionable features in all water heaters heretofore have been overcome by placing tlu burners or heat generators and pilot light outside of the zone etlected by the sweating or water of condensation. and

supplying a collection pan by which the water of condensation may be disposed of withoutnreaching the burners.

Having thus fully described my inven= tion, what I claim as new and desire to have canopy ring so as to be;

located above and in substantial axial alinement with said ring, but within the inner periphery thereof, said housing being :free of obstructions to the products of combustion other than the water coil.

2. A Water heater comprising a plurality of burners arranged in a horizontal ring with their jet openings directed substan-- tially horizontally toward the center of thering, and a housing containing a water coil located above said ring and substantially concentric with said ring and of smaller diameter than the inner and a drip pan below and of larger diame ter than said coil, said housing being free of obstructions to, the products of combustion other than the water coil.

3. A water heater comprising a hollow base, a ring of burners inside of said base, a housing mounted on said base, and. a water coil inside of saidhousing, the margin of the opening bet-ween thehollow base and periphery thereof,

said housing being above but within theinner periphery of said ring of burners and said opening being wider than said water coil.

4. A water heater comprising a ring of burners with their jet openings directed toward the axis of the ring, a drip pan inside of said ring of burners and, with its outer margin close to the inner periphery of said ring, and a water coil aboveand of smaller diameter than said drip pan, the jets from the burners being arranged to issue above the drip pan and below the water coil substantially as described.

5. A water heater comprising a ring of burners with their jet openings directed toward the axis of the ring of burners, a drip pan inside of said ring of burner-sand with its outer margin close to the inner periphery of said ring of burners, and a water coil above and of smaller diameter than said drip pan, the jets from the burners being arranged to issue above the-drip pan and below the water coil. substantially as described,

pipe communicating with said 

